PM Fico warns of coup as Slovaks protest

Thousands of people across Slovakia are demonstrating against Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government, defying his warning that provocateurs linked to the liberal opposition would use the protests to bring about a coup.

Rallies are being held in some 25 Slovak towns and cities, the latest in a series of protests against his populist-nationalist coalition.

Protesters are angry at what they say FICO is undermining the country’s institutions, culture and position in the EU and NATO, particularly his escalating attacks on Ukraine and rapprochement with Moscow.

Fico says he is pursuing a “sovereign” Slovak foreign policy aimed at “all four cardinal points of the compass”.

He denies opposition claims that he wants to take Slovakia out of the EU and NATO, saying that his country’s membership in both institutions was not in question.

The Denik N website estimated that some 100,000 people joined the protests in Slovakia, with at least 40,000 in the capital alone.

Some 10,000 were reported to have taken to the streets of Banska Bystrica, a city of 75,000.

On Thursday, 15,000 demonstrated in Slovakia’s second city, Košice, to avoid a conflict with a different event that evening.

There were no reports of violence or disorder, contrary to FICO warnings this week that provocations would encourage protesters to attack public buildings, prompting a police response to larger protests.

Earlier on Friday FICO said reporters police had soon begun deporting several foreign “trainers” they claimed were in Slovakia to help the Slovak government defy its government.

On Wednesday he called a meeting of the government’s Security Council, saying intelligence services had solid evidence that a group of foreign provocateurs who were involved in recent protests in Georgia and Ukraine in 2014 were active in Slovakia. .

Slovakia’s domestic intelligence service, SIS, confirmed the claims, but provided few details. The opposition has little confidence in Sisi, because it is run by the son of a lawmaker in Fico’s smar party.

FICO said a “massive” cyberattack that hit the country’s health insurer on Friday was a textbook model of “how to liquidate an unruly government, one that has unorthodox views on some things” — an example of Ukraine and its efforts. Reference to their opposition. Handled relations with Moscow.

He said such activities were being carried out by “representatives of the opposition, NGOs organized from abroad, foreign trainers and the media.”

Denik N later explained that the incident was actually a phishing attempt, not a cyberattack, and not a particularly large-scale one.

Slovak authorities have claimed that a previous cyber attack against the country’s land registry may have come from Ukraine. Kiev has denied the allegations and gossip.